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How will the Chrome 68 update improve security?

The Move From HTTP to HTTPS

The run down

Coming to Chrome users on July 24th, the Chrome 68 update is yet another step Google is taking in striving towards a safer web experience for users. This move to an increasingly secure web will see those visiting unencrypted sites be warned with a 'not secure' mark to make clear the dangers that HTTP (unencrypted) sites can bring. Therefore all HTTP from July onward will be shown to be unsecure to visitors to the website, and so aims to encourage consumers as well as website developers to favour HTTPS over HTTP sites. Secure HTTPS sites are shown with a green padlock next to the website's domain name so that it is clear to users when they are browsing safely.

So what is HTTP anyway?

HTTP, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol, is the basis that brings communication between web server to web user. Created by Sir Tim Berners Lee in 1989, this unencrypted form of transferring information between sever and browser is slowly being phased out with the increasing popularity of its secure friend, HTTPS. HTTPS has secure encryption over the original HTTP, usually due to the use of an SSL certificate. An SSL certificate brings security when a user is transferring private information to a server, as well as playing a part in boosting your Google ranking and makes yours a trust worthy website - so overall its a really wise decision to become a secure website.

Progress

This has been a long anticipated update, from when Google announced this back in February for web servers to switch to HTTPS to avoid being branded with the new 'not secure' mark beginning this July.

Previous to this exciting new leap in Google's secuity policy, back in 2017 the 'not secure' mark began when unencrypted sites required passwords or credit card details. This was then extended to marking HTTP sites when data was entered or when they were accessed on 'Incognito Mode'. -read our past blog post about this here!

The future of HTTPS

Although Chrome is the trailblazer with such an update, its is unlikely to remain the only browser to use security warnings on non- HTTPS sites and it is expected that other big players such as Microsoft and Apple will follow suit.

Contact Usto make sure your website is secure and on track to work with the update.